


This isn't just a friendship

by PhoenixAD



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M, Honestly just fluff, post 8x19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixAD/pseuds/PhoenixAD
Summary: Okay, haven't written anything in a few years and this is my first time writing Chicago Fire, but here goes nothing! I wanted to write something shorter before I start a multi-chapter fic and this just kind of happened.This is set after Cruz's wedding, although that's fairly obviously stated in the story.Hope you enjoy.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett & Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 22
Kudos: 131





	This isn't just a friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, haven't written anything in a few years and this is my first time writing Chicago Fire, but here goes nothing! I wanted to write something shorter before I start a multi-chapter fic and this just kind of happened.
> 
> This is set after Cruz's wedding, although that's fairly obviously stated in the story.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

His eyes followed her as she moved across the dance floor, as she danced and laughed with Foster. 

“Yo, earth to Case?” 

Casey turned his attention to his best friend, who was watching him from across the table. “Yeah?” 

“Just go ask her to dance already.” Severide laughed, taking a drink of his beer; the champagne had been switched out for cocktails as the night got later, but neither Severide or Casey wanted to risk a repeat of their hangovers following Cruz’s bachelor party. 

“What?” 

“Dude, you aren’t being as subtle as you think you are.” Severide laughed again. “The whole house knows.” 

“Knows what?” Stella Kidd asked as she dropped into the seat next to Severide, leaning against his shoulder. 

“About him and Brett.” Severide laughed. 

“Oh, yeah. It’s totally obvious.” Stella agreed.

“There is no Brett and I.”

“Yet.” Stella laughed. “You two have been dancing around this for months.” 

“I‘m not trying to offer unsolicited dating advice, but she’s right.” Severide shrugged.

“I’ll offer unsolicited dating advice.” Stella leaned forward towards Casey. “Man the hell up and make a move.”

“She and I are just friends.” Casey knew his words lacked conviction because he knew that they weren’t entirely true; they were _technically_ just friends, but he was long past denying to himself there was nothing more than a friendship growing between them. 

Stella sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Fine. Keep watching her from over here like a weirdo. Severide, let’s dance.” 

Severide and Stella headed towards the dance floor, leaving Casey alone at the table. 

Casey scanned the crowd again until his eyes landed on Brett again, this time dancing with Gallo. 

After finishing his beer off and slamming the empty bottle on the table with more force than necessary, Casey stood up and moved through the crowd towards the exit of the ballroom, out through the hotel lobby and stepped out into the cold air, taking a deep breath, hoping it would help cool the irrational irritation he felt about seeing Brett dancing with Gallo. 

“Matt, are you already leaving?”

Casey stopped walking and turned towards her just as she caught up to him. 

“No, just needed to get some air.” Casey smiled. “I wouldn’t have left without a goodbye.” 

“Yeah, I could use some air myself.” Brett glanced towards the park across the street. “Wanna go for a walk?” 

Brett didn’t wait for a response before looping her arm through his and heading towards the park. 

“We didn’t really get a chance to talk earlier. How’d it go with Scott?” Casey asked.

“I think I convinced him to keep her.” Brett sighed. “Now I’m questioning myself. Was that the right thing? What if he ends up resenting her? Or he’s a terrible father? Was I just being selfish?” 

“Sylvie Brett, there isn’t a selfish bone in your body.” Casey chuckled. “And you have to trust your judgment. You’ve always been a good judge of character. If you think he’s a decent guy and that he’ll be a good father, you’re probably right, and you’ll still be a part of her life to make sure he is.” 

“How do you do that? You always know how to make me feel better.” Brett leaned her head on Casey’s shoulder. “Thank you.” 

Casey smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. “Any time.” 

“It’s been a crazy couple of months, hasn’t it?” 

“It has.“ Casey agreed. “Although it always seems crazy to me. It’s always something.” 

“True.” Brett laughed. “But I’ve had a rough couple of months and you’ve been a really great friend to me through it, and I’m really glad I have you in my life.” 

Feeling Casey tense, Brett stepped out of his grasp to turn and look at him. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” Casey put a smile on his face that Brett immediately saw through, but she decided to drop it; Brett knew Casey wasn’t much for talking about anything that was bothering him. 

“If you ever need to talk about anything, you know I’m here.” 

“I know.” Casey smiled. “We should probably head back.”

“Yeah, I think I’m just going to go back and say my goodbyes and head home. It’s been a really long couple of days.” Brett sighed.

As soon as Brett arrived home to her empty apartment, she changed into her favorite leggings, grabbed a pint of Rocky Road from the freezer, and sat down on the couch, turning on her favorite Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone musical. 

Half way through the movie, the pint of ice cream was long gone, and Brett had paid very little attention to the movie. Her mind had wandered to its’ favorite topic again; Matt Casey. 

She couldn’t get past his reaction when they were walking through the park, couldn’t understand it; what had she said, or what had happened, that had made him tense up? 

Her phone buzzing on the coffee table tore her from her thoughts as she reached to pick it up, seeing a text from the man she had just been obsessing over.

**I just dropped Foster off with Ritter at his place. She’s crashing there tonight. Didn’t want you to worry when she didn’t come home.**

Sighing, Brett typed out a reply, thanking him for letting her know; she had been hoping to talk to Foster when she got home about Casey, but maybe it was for the best. 

Brett knew what Foster would tell her, anyways; ‘jump him already.’ That had been her advice about the situation for the past year. She would talk to Stella about it, but she knew her advice would be pretty much the same, albeit a little less blunt. 

If Julie was still alive, she could’ve talked to her; Brett wondered what she would’ve said if she had ever really admitted her feelings about Casey to her instead of avoiding the subject. Julie had somehow known from the first time she met Casey how her daughter felt about him.

Reminding herself there was no point wondering about how Julie would’ve reacted because she was gone, Brett sighed and rubbed her face; she had just gotten to know her mother and then she was just gone. 

Being in her line of work, Brett knew better than most how short life could be, that you never knew how much time you had with someone; Julie and Otis had been stark reminders of that in the last year, a reminder that anybody you love could be gone in a blink of an eye. 

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Brett sat up, the sudden realization hit her that she _had_ to tell Casey how she felt, even if she was unsure the feeling was mutual, because life was just too short. 

Feeling suddenly bold and braver than she’d ever felt, Brett jumped off the couch, pulled her coat on, and rushed out the door. 

Brett had only questioned her decision on the drive to Casey’s apartment three times, which felt like a win to her. It could have been much higher. She spent most of the car ride trying to figure out what to say; the rest of the ride had been spent wondering what _he_ would say.

Brett still wasn’t sure how he felt about her; Casey wasn’t the easiest person to read, and he definitely wasn’t one for talking about his feelings. 

Clinging to her fading confidence as she walked down the hallway towards Casey’s apartment, she paused outside the door, considering for the first time that Severide and Stella were likely home. She wasn’t sure what she’d say if either of them were the one to answer the door. 

Pulling her phone from her pocket, she hit Casey’s contact info and pressed the call button. 

“Sylvie?” Casey answered after the first ring. “It’s late. Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I...uh...I’m outside, actually.” 

“Outside?” 

“Outside your apartment.” Brett replied. “I didn’t want to knock and wake Stella or Severide.”

The door opened, Casey, still dressed in his suit, standing in front of her, confusion written all over his face. “Kelly and Stella got a hotel room for the night. Come in. Are you okay?” 

“I just wanted to talk.” Brett wrapped her arms around herself as she stepped into his apartment. 

“At midnight?” 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Brett’s confidence was definitely fading, and she still hadn’t figured out what to say to him. 

“What’s going on?” Casey asked.

“This isn't just a friendship anymore, is it?” Brett blurted it out and resisted the urge to cringe, because she definitely hadn’t meant to be so blunt. 

Casey sighed, running his hands through his hair. “No.”

Brett watched him, waiting for more of a response. “No?” 

“I spent months trying to deny whatever this is between us, and then even more months trying to ignore it.” Casey admitted, watching her face for a reaction. “But no, this isn't just a friendship anymore.”

Brett knew he was waiting for a response, could feel his eyes on her even after she closed her own while she took a few deep breaths to calm her suddenly racing heart. 

“This could be complicated. We work together, I was married to your best friend…” 

“I don’t care. I don’t care that this could be complicated. I...I think it could also be really great.” Brett smiled. “I’m willing to risk it being complicated if you are.” 

Casey didn’t respond, other than to step closer to her and look at her lips, then her eyes, silently asking for permission. Brett could feel her heart rate pick up as he leaned in closer; there wasn’t a moment of hesitation as she closed her eyes as she parted her lips and felt him washing over her like a wave of warmth, his lips soft and gentle. They both felt the rest of the world fade away, and somehow they both knew that when it came back into focus, everything would be different. 

They pulled apart only for a moment to share a smile before his lips were on hers again, hungrier and more intense than the first time; his hands on her hips pushed her until her back was against the wall, and her hands were in his hair. 

Neither of them were sure of how long they stayed there; time had lost all sense of meaning. 

“Matt,” Brett sighed when they finally pulled apart, both out of breath. “Bedroom.” 

“Are you sure?” 

She knotted her fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against her. 

“Very,” She whispered before she kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Very sure.”

He groaned softly, low in his throat, and then his arms circled her, lifting her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, and carried her towards his bedroom.

When Casey woke up, he wasn’t sure what had woken him; the sunlight filtering in through the window, or the absence in his bed. He sat up in his bed and glanced around his room, but Brett was nowhere to be seen, although her clothes were still scattered all over the room. 

“Good morning.” Brett appeared in the doorway in his CFD shirt, and two coffee mugs in her hands. 

“Good morning.” Casey smiled as Brett leaned down to kiss him before handing him one of the mugs. “Thank you. You’re up early.” 

“Not really. It’s almost nine.” Brett laughed. “How do you not have a clock in here, by the way?” 

Casey shrugged, “Between my phone and my watch, I never saw a need. Is it really almost nine? I never sleep past seven.” 

“I’m guessing you’re not usually up until after four in morning, though.” Brett grinned as she climbed back on the bed. 

“No, not usually.” Casey’s grin mirrored hers. “Worth it though.” 

“Worth the months of waiting and build up, though?” Brett asked.

“Absolutely.” Casey leaned over and kissed her, carefully removing the coffee mug from her hands and placing it on the nightstand. 

Brett sighed, pulling away. “Matt, I really should get going. Severide and Stella could be home any time, and do we really want the whole house to know about this by the end of the day?” 

“Well, I really don’t care, and I don’t think any of them will be surprised, but I suppose I should give Chief a heads up.” 

“Oh. Are we technically breaking the rules since you’re the captain?” Brett asked.

“You’re not a firefighter, and I’m not your direct supervisor, so no. Even if it was, it’s not like the rules have ever stopped anybody.” Casey laughed. “I don’t see Sev and Stella leaving that hotel room until they have to. They won’t be home before noon. Stay, I’ll make breakfast.” 

“Well, I won’t say no to that.” Brett watched as Casey got off the bed and pulled a shirt over his head. “So why did Stella and Severide get a hotel room instead of coming home?” 

“I imagine it was so they could spend an evening not trying to be quiet. What they don’t realize is their idea of quiet isn’t all that quiet at all and these walls are pretty thin.” 

“The joys of roommates.” Brett laughed.

Casey leaned over her on the bed, kissing her quickly. “I’m gonna go make breakfast before I get distracted.” 

Brett watched him leave before climbing off the bed and going into his bathroom, shocked at how disheveled she looked when she saw herself in the mirror. She opened the drawer, finding a hair brush, and a pack of toothbrushes. 

After brushing her hair and teeth, Brett joined Casey in the kitchen, pulling herself up to sit on the counter. 

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” 

“Nope. Why, did you have something in mind?” Brett asked.

“Well, I know we’re going a bit out of order here, but I thought an actual date would be good.” 

“Yeah, a date sounds great.” Brett smiled as he tried to walk past her to get something out of the fridge, but she reached out to grab his shirt, pulling him towards her. 

“You know, if you distract me, I’m never going to finish this breakfast.” Casey laughed.

“Homemade meals are overrated.” Brett mumbled as she wrapped her legs around his waist, trapping him in place. “We can go get breakfast.” 

Distracted, neither Brett or Casey noticed the sound of the front door opening. 

“Casey?” 

“Shit.” Brett mumbled at the sound of Severide’s voice, instinctively grabbing the quilt to cover herself, despite the fact she still had Casey’s shirt on. Casey glanced at the time on his phone; they were back earlier than he expected them. 

“Dude, why did you stop cooking half way through your…” The door swung open quickly, long enough for Severide to realize Casey wasn’t alone, and then he slammed it shut again. “Sorry! You should really lock the door!” 

They could hear Severide laughing as he walked away. 

“Well, I guess sneaking out before they got home isn’t happening.” Brett laughed, feeling her face heat up; she knew if she looked in the mirror, her cheeks would be bright red. “I should get dressed.” 

“I will go talk to Kelly and Stella and make sure they don’t tell the entire house before we get the chance to.” 

Brett nodded; after Casey left the room, she found her leggings on the floor and pulled them on, taking a few deep breaths to brace herself before stepping out of the room to face Stella and Severide. 

“Good morning.” Stella smirked as soon as she saw Brett. “Did you have a good night last night? You left so early.” 

Brett rolled her eyes as Stella burst out laughing. 

“So he finally manned up and made a move, huh?” Stella asked as Brett joined her at the kitchen counter. 

Brett glanced towards Casey and Severide talking in the living room. “Actually, I was the one that showed up here unannounced.” 

“Yeah? That’s my girl.” Stella laughed. “I am happy for you though, seriously. It’s about damn time.” 

The next morning, Brett sat in Casey’s truck in front of the firehouse before shift. 

“I’ll talk to the Chief this morning. It won’t take long for everybody to notice something’s up.” Casey remarked.

“You head on in, I’ll be right there.”

Brett waited a few minutes after Casey went inside, killing time on her phone, before she went inside; she immediately felt everybody’s eyes on her as soon as she stepped into the common room.

“You didn’t have to bother going through the motions of coming in separately. Everybody knows.” Gallo laughed.

“What?” Brett looked towards Stella, who threw her hands up in defense. 

“Wasn’t me, wasn’t Severide.” 

“You were the only two that knew!” Brett exclaimed, then turned to Gallo. “Who told you?” 

“I overheard Hermann and Mouch.” Gallo shrugged.

Brett looked at Hermann, who immediately pointed at Ritter. 

“I heard it from Foster!” Ritter laughed

Brett turned towards her roommate, who tried to hide her laughter behind a coffee mug. “How did you know?”

“A shirt that literally had his name on it was in the laundry. It wasn’t a leap. Sorry. I told him to keep his mouth shut.”

Brett sighed as she headed towards the locker room, finding Casey standing at his locker.

“So, everybody already knew.” Brett shrugged.

“Yeah, gathered that much by the looks I got walking in.” Casey laughed. “I still have to talk to Chief. He was on the phone.”

“I’m guessing he already knows too. He always knows all the gossip anyways.” 

“Still.” Casey kissed her quickly as he walked past. “I’m going to talk to him anyways.” 

Casey knocked on the ajar door to Boden’s office. “Hey Chief?” 

“Come on in.” 

“Do you have a minute to talk?” 

“If this is about you and Brett, I’ve already heard.” Boden remarked.

“Yeah, I figured as much.” Casey sat down in the chair across from his desk. “This isn’t a problem, is it?”

“You’re not her commanding officer. It’s fine.” Boden laughed. “I’m honestly just surprised it took this long. I’ve been expecting it for months.” 

“Apparently everybody has.” 

“If that’s all you wanted to talk to me about, I have some phone calls to return.” Boden motioned towards a stack of note cards.

“Right. I’ll let you get back to that.” 

Casey was at the door by the time Boden spoke again. “I am happy for you, just don’t bring any drama to work, alright? If you two have issues or break up, you leave that at the door.”

“Understood. No intentions to, sir. I think we’re both already pretty sure and committed to this.” Casey didn’t see Brett lingering outside Boden’s office until he stepped out. 

“ _Pretty_ sure and committed to this already, huh?” Brett laughed

“Aren’t we?” Casey reached for her hand as they headed towards the common room again.

Brett leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, very sure.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> Feel free to comment or reach out on Tumblr or Twitter (I can be found under 'atiredfangirl' on both). Or just to talk about the show lol


End file.
